Temporary road mats are used extensively to allow vehicles and equipment to reach locations not served by permanent roads, particularly under conditions where ground surfaces would not support the traffic or where the temporary nature of use does not warrant the time and expense of a permanent road. The temporary road mats are typically configured as timber mats constructed from multiple layers of heavy wood timbers in crisscrossing layers.
On muddy soil the timber mats typically sink into the soil when a heavy vehicle drives over them which compresses the soil and squeezes water and out of it that flows upward through the timber mat and accumulates within the timber mat and on top of the timber mat. This pumping effect can cause considerable water and mud accumulation within the timber mat and on top of the timber mat which reduces traction of the vehicles and can also lead to faster degradation of the timber mats.